Balancing Writing and Life (From Someone Still Figuring It Out)

I'm Not Going to Pretend I Have This Figured Out

I work in catering and serving to fund this thing. Most nights I come home tired, feet aching, knees screaming, with a to-do list that includes code reviews, admin work, social posts, and somewhere in there, reading, writing, watching films, working out, nurturing my relationships with my partner, friends, family, etc.

I'm 26. I'm building a software company by myself. I'm pursuing an acting career. I'm writing. There are days when all three feel like they're competing for the same hour.

I'm telling you this not to complain, but because I think the conversation around "balance" in creative spaces often comes from people who've already made it and their advice doesn't always translate to someone in the grind phase. So here's what actually works for me.

Lower the Minimum Viable Session

The biggest lie I used to tell myself was that writing only counted if I had two uninterrupted hours. That's not a standard. That's an excuse.

I started telling myself one page counts. One page is a session. Some days that's all I get, and that's fine. Over the course of a month, one page a day is thirty pages, that's a third of a feature. The output compounds even when the individual sessions feel tiny.

Protect the First Hour (Or Whenever Your Brain Works)

For me it's mornings, before the day gets loud. I try to write before I look at my phone, before I check emails, before I respond to anything. Even if it's forty-five minutes, that window is the most valuable creative time I have.

Right now, I'm in the early weeks of The Artist's Way. For those that aren't familiar, The Artist's Way is a 12-week self-help program that is designed to help creatives overcome blocks, silence their inner critic, and reconnect with their innate creativity. So every morning, I spend the first thirty minutes doing my Morning Pages (three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing.) It helps me start my day clear and level-headed.

Figure out when your brain is clearest and protect that time like it's a meeting you can't cancel.

Stop Waiting for Inspiration

Inspiration is what happens when you sit down and do the work anyway. I don't wait to feel like writing. I open Scene Zero, put a scene heading on the page, and start typing. Usually within ten minutes something real starts happening.

The myth of the inspired writer waiting for the muse is romanticized procrastination. The writers who finish things sit down whether they feel like it or not. Discipline beats motivation every day of the week.

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." - Tim Notke

Give Yourself Permission to Rest

This one still trips me up. There's a guilt that comes with choosing to watch a movie, read, or go for a walk instead of writing. But consuming good stories, watching films, reading scripts, and living your life feeds the work. You can't write from an empty tank.

Rest and relaxation aren't wasted time. It's material. I'm learning this heavily right now. Everytime I think I need to work harder, my mind and body remind me that is wrong. Burnout is real. Your body and mind are a temple. Treat them as sacred.

The Longer View

I'm building Scene Zero because I believe the tool a writer uses every day should be affordable, simple, and actually good. But I also built it because I needed it myself. I'm the user I was building for. Some of the features included were to make the software and testing smoother for me, but I realized "wait that might be good for the everyday user too."

That motivation is what gets me to the desk on the hard days. Find yours. Connect what you're writing to something real in your life, something you actually care about and the discipline becomes a little less painful.

You're not behind. You're building.

Happy writing.

— Brady